Ball rebounder or bounce back devices for returning or rebounding game balls such as lacrosse, tennis and baseballs have long been available. Most rebounder or bounce-back devices are portable and are designed to be set up in a yard area, and generally consist of an elastic or tensioned netting or screen which serves as the bounce back surface and is secured in a lightweight metal frame. Although effective for returning or rebounding balls when forcibly thrust into contact with the bounce back surface, such rebounding devices have several inherent drawbacks.
In particular, while sports and game balls are available in many different sizes, weights, and densities, the bounce back surface in most known ball rebounder devices is only suited for use with certain types of sporting balls. Yard-deployed rebounders are also cumbersome to move or break down, and require a significant amount of time to deploy and then store again after each use. As a result, such devices are often left out in the yard even when not in use, where in addition to being generally unsightly, they are obstruent with respect to other uses of the yard and to performing maintenance of the yard, not to mention killing the grass underneath the apparatus. Also, if left outdoors unprotected over long periods, continual subjection to elements such as the wind, rain, and sun will cause the materials to prematurely wear out or lose their original performance. Even if stored in a garage or shed, the bounce back frame takes up an inordinate amount of space and is clumsy to store, and often ends up leaning or falling on and possibly damaging other stored items such as vehicles, windows, and the like.
An alternative to conventional freestanding yard bounce back devices is to temporarily secure a net or screen over an open space such as a garage door opening. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,152,246 issued to Byrne, which discloses a reel hung sports net, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,784 issued to Redlich et al., which discloses a sports net that is secured over a garage door opening frame by a plurality of eye bolts, screw hooks, and adjustable straps. U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,334 issued to McNamara discloses a hockey target backdrop which can be raised and lowered between a folded storage position and an unfolded use position. U.S. Pat. No. 6,969,068 issued to Pollon et al. also discloses a retractable sports practice target which is securable to a garage door frame. U.S. Pat. No. 7,293,776 issued to Fenwick discloses a sports practice target having a plurality of target holes for collecting projectiles as they contact the target, and adapted to be supported from the lower edge of a garage door when raised. Finally, U.S. Patent Appln. Pub. 2002/0151387 filed by Henson also discloses a sports target apparatus which is removably connectable to a support structure such as a garage door opening.
These sports nets or targets while presumably suited for their particular purposes also have inherent disadvantages. A first problem is encountered in adjusting and maintaining a sufficient tension on the rebounding surface so that it is taut enough to provide the desired bounce back effect, as compared to non-tensioned nets in which case balls thrown at the net will simply be absorbed into the net. A second problem is the ability to easily adjust the angle of the bounce back screen or net depending upon the intended use, such as to simulate a fly ball or a ground ball or simply to rebound a ball back to the user. The rebounding device should also be easy to set up for use and stored when not in use without requiring tedious manual securing and unsecuring of the screen in the opening.
Recognizing the deficiencies associated with existing ball bounce back or return devices, the present inventor has now developed a retractable ball rebounding or return device that is simple and easy to set up for use and to break down and store when finished, that requires a minimum number of connections, that enables the angle of the rebounding surface and therefore the angle of return of balls thrown or directed at the rebounding surface to be easily adjusted, and that allows the tension of the rebounding surface to be easily varied so the device can be used with a wide range of sporting balls and practice scenarios, including indoor or outdoor settings.